Quick Update

Just wanted to throw in a quick update here to the blog, as is obvious, I have not posted here for some time, not for any one reason but for a fe, and not because I have stopped drinking, don't worry I have bee guzzling away.

I will be back to this blog very soon next few days in fact, and will be back to regular posting and updates.

I will also have a twitter account for linked to this and possibly a Facebook page, all will be in my next post over the next day or two.

I have not decided yet wether to move to a brand new blog or just continue here, again, that is a decision I will put in my next update.

Pretty In Pink.........

In recent years i have come o love rose as a refreshing alternative to white on a hot summers day. Rose's have gone from strength to strength and hold a very important place on any wine list. I find, fro the shop in particular, that people falls into two camps when it comes to rose, those are similar to white, dry or sweet.


I, personally, prefer a dryer rose. That is not to say that i don't like a bit of fruit to my wines, however i do try to avoid some new world rose such as the cheaper Californian rose, Grenache in particular as i find it almost sickly sweet at times.
Like most, i think, i am in the Provence camp. And Bandol. These two power houses of  the rose world produce some of the best rose i have tasted.

Recently i have tried three new roses to our shop and thought i would fire them all in in one post.




DOMAINE OTT "LES DOMANIERS" 2011


The name Ott is synonymous with quality premium rose and in particular their Cuvee Marine. So when this became available to order and was put on offer i jumped at the chance to try it.
A blend of majority Grenache 60% along with Cinsault 35% and Syrah 5%. At 13.5% it is a little high in alcohol for my taste in rose. Pale salmon in color with citrus notes and a fairly dominant aroma of strawberry.
Full bodied but well balanced, this fresh rose opens up with exotic fruit and subtle hints of white peach. The high alcohol content is instantly evident but not offensive. A beautifully well rounded rose and with a crisp yet fruity finish.

A nice rose, a little too full bodied for drinking on its own, its definitely a wine for food. Best paired with salads, sea-bass or grilled vegetables.



Domaine De L'Olivette Bandol 2011

Another great rose from Bandol, and one of which i have enjoyed in previous vintages. Lie the previous rose, this wine clocks in at 13.5%, but looks a little paler.
A classic blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Mouvedre. Bright pink in color and with fresh fruity aromas, mostly raspberry and a little redcurrant.
Nicely rich but fruity on the palate, more fruit fills the mouth, lots of fresh summer fruits, raspberry, ripe strawberry and currents. The alcohol content is not as dominant here as the fruit pushes through.
Raspberry is again evident on the finish, long and supple.


A very good rose, great balance or fruit, a little dryness and good body. This wine would be nice with or without food. Salads and grilled meat would be a great companion for this.



Le Poussin Rose Pays D'oc 2011

This was actually recommended by a colleague who's opinion i respect so i ordered it and had to try. Firstly this wine looks great, fantastic modern label, pale pink color and a screw top, always good for the picnic season.
A 100% Grenache wine, the color thankfully suggests a dryer rose. Fresh and floral on the nose, with hints rose rose petal.
Dry while well balanced palate, lots of supple summer fruits lingering nicely, with a slight raspberry finish. A little lacking in big flavor and favoring subtle fresh fruit hints instead.



If you favor the dryer rose then this is one for you, however i feel its a little slack on flavor and would suit food better. An ideal BBQ wine, i feel it would be very versatile wit food, from grilled meat to fish and salads as well as spicy food.

New Wine Tasted:

MOUTON CADET, BORDEAUX, 2010

Especially with regards french wine, Bordeaux whites seem to be some of the most under rated of all, i have noticed that's in the shop people are very wary of Bordeaux whits, unless there around the £7-8 range and then they are just looking at the price. i only stock 4 sometimes 5 Bordeaux whites in the shop but try to keep the better ones from the fairly sparse list we have, so when a new one comes available i feel obliged to get it in and try it out, and recently the Mouton Cadet range from Rothschild has appeared on our order list, and since the red proved popular recently i ordered the white.

As with most Bordeaux whites the wine is made up of sauvignon blanc (65%) and semillion (30%) but has a little muscdelle (5%) in there too, which should bind it together nicely and keep some fruit along with some nice dryness.

Lovely golden stray color, and looks well structured in the glass.
Strong but fresh nose, clean an a little crisp with some hints of lemon and a strong but not prevalent aroma of fresh peach. Fresh and fruity, so far so good.
On the palate, good body, lovely fruity but fresh and easy drinking. Again that nice mix of lemon and fresh peach coming through but not too overwhelming and good finish, with nice slight acidic aftertaste that really leaves you wanting more.

Great Bordeaux white, at £13.99 its worth every penny and will definitely be one i will return to again and again.

New Wine Tasted:

QUARTESE RUGGERI VALDOBBIADENE, PROSECCO SUPERIOR, NV


For me prosecco's have always just been there, another 'trendy' wine that has seen its sales increase through simple word of mouth. I have generally have avoided prosecco's because some of the ones i have tried in pubs have been bland and boring. With our new range of wines, a new prosecco came in, slightly pricier than the ones we have stocked before but that is not always a bad thing!


Immediately in the glass i could see this was going to be different, it was super light and pale.
Beatiful on the nose, light, fresh, with little hints of pear and honey, but just light hints!
the first taste was just great, fresh, clean and super light bubbles. Lovely hints of pear just sitting in the background complimenting the dry clean taste. Good finish, not to lingering but just enough to keep you wanting more!!

This was a fantastic sparkling wine, one of my absolute favorites outside of champagnes, but saying that its probably better than some of the cheaper champagnes i have tried.

New Wine Tasted:

RABL GRUNER VELTLINER 2010

This is the first new wine we have received in store from Austria, and i have been looking forward to trying it since it arrived, as to the best of my knowledge i have never tried Austrian wine.

Produced by Weinut Rabl, and comes from the Kamptal region in lower Austria



The nose was very interesting with hints of fresh green apples and a little pear. On the palate there is a strong sense of tropical fruit mixed with a little spicy note and it has a lengthily fresh finish with just a slight tang of acidity.

Definitely a wine for food, would be a great compliment to Asian food and some meatier fish.

As a first Austrian white tried this was a very pleasant surprise and i can see myself drinking this again.

Tuesday 17th April

As part of our expanding range of none french wines at work we had a tasting session with one of new suppliers on Tuesday morning.
Our company have been very good at organising these tasting recently and they have been very enjoyable, not only to taste the new ranges we are getting but to taste good wines alongside other managers, some of who are very knowledgeable and i learn a lot from them.
The tasting session was with McKinley, they are a restaurant, pub and retail supplier which means their wines are not found in supermarkets, which is always a bonus!!

It was a small enough tasting, 4 whites and 3 reds but that wasn't a bad thing because we weren't as rushed as other tastings when trying to fit in a lot of wines i a small period of time, which also allowed the guy from the supplier running the tasting to give us a little more insight and background on the wines and the vineyards they come from.

The first of the whites tasted was from South Africa, the Rooiberg Classic White 2011.
This is a Sauvignon/Chenin blend. A dry white wine, fresh and clean, with some citrus notes. Well balanced with a fresh, zesty finish, a perfect everyday easy-drinking white.

Second out was Lake Chalice Sauvignon Blanc 2011 form Marlborough, New Zealand.
This wine is produced in quite small amounts, only about 50,000 cases a year of which only about 1000 make it to the UK so it is a rarer wine that deserves a little try.
The nose was fresh and had strong hints of tropical fruit. This wine was beautifully fresh , dry and had a nice level of acidity. hints of gooseberry and a lovely clean subtly finish that lingers just enough. A great wine for a sunny afternoon when treating yourself or enjoying a light salad. More than a match for Cloudy Bay in my opinion.

Next was, and staying in New Zealand was the Alpha Domus The Pilot Chardonnay 2008.
This chardonnay has spent 6 months in oak so should hold some nice Burgundy characteristics. Great nose with hints of oak, wood, and toasted brioche. Fresh on the palate, with a nice balance of cream, oak and acidity and a lingering finish, definitely a great chardonnay.

And for the final white we venture to Chile for the Tamaya Winemakers Selection Chardonnay 2010 from the Limari Valley.
A blend of oak and steel fermented grapes. A very fresh light nose, no hint of those oak fermented grapes in there at all. Clean fresh mineral taste with just a hint of honey and a long lingering finish that leaves you wanting more, a nice alternative to the oaky chardonnays.


And then came the reds.......................

First up and we are back in South Africa for the Rooiberg selected Red 2009 form the Robertson Valley.
This was a pleasant slightly fruity red, ripe berry's on the nose soft tannins and some nice fruit, mostly berry with a hint of plum. Like its white counterpart this a easy drinking everyday red, probably bet enjoyed with some food.

Next up, Aplha Domus The Pilot Cabernet/Merlot 2009 from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.
Although it states Cab/Merlot mix we were informed that it contained some Malbec and Cabernet Franc too, so this hinted at a Bordeaux style!
Lots of ripe black and blue berry's on the nose, some plum too. Soft subtle fruit flavours, very elegant style with a good finish, a little less fruity than some Bordeaux wines but no less pleasant. Good alternative to Bordeaux if something different is what you are after.

Last up and we are back in Chile for the Tamaya Reserva Syrah 2009, once again from the Limari Valley.
Like some Rhone valley wines this has a little Viognier in there and is aged 11 months in oak. Big fresh ripe raspberry nose, with equally big fruit flavours, lots of fresh berry's raspberry for the most part, wit a subtle finish. Again this is a good alternative for fans of the Rhone Valley wines such as Crozes Hermitage.



And that was it, there was one more wine that we were meant to taste but he didn't have any so he has promised a bottle for the shop.
Overall it was a good tasting, with some nice wines, i look forward to drinking some of them again.

The one that stood out the most for me was the Tamaya Winemakers Selection Chardonnay 2010, and while i am huge fan of oaky chardonnays this fresh mineral alternative really surprised me.

Had a nice afternoon at work on Saturday just gone, we had some wines to sample as part of our few Spanish range we are getting in-store.

So we had a little in-store tasting, for us and for customers. Being Easter Saturday and considering the area in which the shop is located, it wasn't a very busy day but we put 2 bottles on tasting none the less.

Before that me and my colleague tried an Australian red i had opened the night before, The Stump Jump (2009). The Stump Jump is a grenache, syrah and mouverdre blend from South Australia. To be honest i was hoping for a little more from this wine as judging by the blend i was expecting it to be more of a Rhone valley style, a style i have become very fond of recently. However this wine was far too fruity and fleshy/juicy and not enough of the syrah coming through. While not a bad wine, it was just too juicy and sweet for my taste, so after tasting it on the Friday night with a friend i decided to leave it ad try again the next day to see if it would open up a bit and become less like syrup. Anyway on the Saturday tried it again, and it had improved a little but that intense juiciness and sweet after taste were still there and that's just not my preferred style. I'm hoping that we get a few better Australian reds in soon!

However i did have two Spanish reds to try that i was more looking forward to, i have already tried these in a group tasting session last week with the suppliers.

So around 4 we opened a bottle of Valcanto Monastrell 2010. This wine comes form Bodegas Piqueras in the lesser known Almansa region in the south east of Spain.

The wine itself is 100% monastrell, and is aged for 4 months in oak barrels. It is medium bodied and a little smooth but not too strong on the flavour side and lacks a little punch that would make it memorable, its got good ripe berry fruit flavours but is just quickly forgotten. Would be a fine choice with barbecue meat or tomato based pasta or dishes but on its own its a very average wine.

For our second wine we had a rioja, Medieo Rioja Crianza 2008. From Bodegas Del Medievo in the Rioja region, probably Spain's most famous region. This wine is a blend of tempranillo (80%), garnacha (10%), mazuelo (5%) and graciano (5%), it is aged 14 months in oak and spent 12 months i bottle. This was more like the Spanish wine i was expecting, great berry nose, it a hint of oak. Nice full structure and big berry flavours with hints of oak and wood in the background, rich but smooth tannins and great lenght and finish. Perfect wine for roasted red meats but can be enjoyed on its own also.

The wine tasting in store was ok, not too many customers but those who tried seem to enjoy the wines, and gave good feedback, i particular the rioja, which was the resounding favourite.

The rioja was the more enjoyed on the day and was the superior wine.  

"Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy!!"

                                                                                                            Frank Sinatra

Hi there, and welcome to my new blog, To Drink Or Not To Drink, and lets be honest, that is a great question.

Drink has always been a major part of my life, i have worked in many bars and restaurants in Ireland and London and have always enjoyed a few drinks. I am currently the manager of a wine merchant store in north west London.

My tastes have changed throughout the years and moving to London opened up a lot more opportunity to try new things in the wide varied world of drink.

I have come a long way from throwing back pints of Heineken, JD & cokes to fire up the blood and all that sprinkled with shots of tequila and sambucca. Drinking in Ireland at an early age wasn't very varied or exciting, typically you drank Guinness, lager or cider, pints of coarse. 

London however opened my eyes up to a wider world of alcoholic beverages, including cocktails, wine and of coarse good whiskey.

Beer still holds its place as my top tipple of choice but that is followed closely by wine and whisky.

i love to try new things, especially beer and wine. My job allows me to explore the world of wine and whisky but at home is where i usually try as many new beers as possible.

Experience plays a huge part for me in enjoying drink, whether it be an exceptional beer in a nice pub with friends or a delicious bottle of wine with a great meal. drink on its own is hugely enjoyable and i have enjoyed many a fine drink by myself, nothing beats enjoying good drink with good friends and good times.

I use a couple of apps on my iphone to record tasting notes and check in to a social networking site when tasting new beers, but i wanted to start a blog to record not only the tasting but the overall experiences i have while trying new beer, wine and spirits because lets be honest, that's what life a drinking is truly about, the experience!!!!